NAWWA and What is Systemic Racism?

Preface

Presented below is the fourth op-ed that the Founder of NAWWA ("Founder") submitted to numerous news sources. However, none of the op-eds have been published to date.

At first, the Founder thought the news sources were passing on publishing the op-eds because it is forbidden for anyone to say anything that could be considered disapproving of BLM or the BLM movement. Then, later, the Founder took into account that the news sources might be passing on the op-eds because they were in agreement with the BLM movement.

Regardless of the above reasons, the Founder was both surprised and disappointed that none of the op-eds were ever published. This is because the writings were prepared in accordance with the guidelines for submitting op-eds that were posted by most of the news sources. And, the guidelines contained, but were not limited to, the following criteria:

• The opinion articles were to be crafted for publication by a non-partisan media that could focus on the substance of the topics;
• The articles were to be fact-based which could add to an informed debate on topics of national relevance; and,
• The content of the articles were to be based on truth and tradition that could impact and benefit society.

Ironically, none of the news sources abided by their own guidelines. This is evidenced by the fact that none of the news sources published any of the op-eds which complied with the above criteria.

Because many things about the BLM movement are contrary to the American way of life and is causing dissension among the races, the Founder is simply trying to make the readers aware of these situations through his writings. Based upon what has been explained in other Articles related to this subject matter, it is obvious that many people don't know or, perhaps, even care about what is going on in America today. Therefore, one of the primary aims and purposes of NAWWA is to inform and educate the readers about certain issues that will have an impact on their lives.

What is Systemic Racism?

When the protests under the BLM movement were being carried out in a more aggressive and, frequently, violent manner, it was noticed that the demands for change were focused on "other" racial issues rather than on just the racism associated with police brutality.

In regards to the "other" racial issues, the term "systemic racism" was continually being used to describe the type of racism that was referred to in the protests. And, based upon numerous news reports, the BLM movement was linking the white people to systemic racism against the Blacks. So, what does the term "systemic racism" actually mean?

A report on exactly how the term "systemic racism" was derived could not be found on the Internet. However, presented below is a short explanation about its derivation which is set forth in an online article titled "What are structural, institutional and systemic racism?" [ref: https://abc7news.com/systemic-racism-definition-structural-institutionalized-what-is/6292530/]:

"Since America was colonized, it has been white people who have made the rules, first with slavery, then Jim Crow Laws and Separate but Equal rules, and even creating limits on who can immigrate into the country."

Based upon the above explanation, it can be realized that America's founding fathers made all the early rules and laws since they were the controlling authorities at that time. This is understandable since they were the first to permanently settle in America. The rules and laws were essential for their work in creating a political system for governing the colonies. It is also understandable that the founding fathers were white people and some of them owned slaves. Hence, systemic racism was not known at that time. It wasn't defined until about 200 years later.

Then, from an online article in Wikipedia titled "Institutional racism" [ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_racism], it was found that the term "institutional racism" (aka "systemic racism") is defined as follows:

"Institutional racism, also known as systemic racism, is a form of racism that is embedded as normal practice within society or an organization. It can lead to such issues as discrimination in criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power, and education, among other issues. [1]"

The term was first coined in 1967 by Stokely Carmichael and Charles V. Hamilton in a book titled "Black Power: The Politics of Liberation". It was also interesting to learn that Stokely Carmichael eventually developed the Black Power movement and later served as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party. Both of these organizations consisted of social and revolutionary political movements formed in the later part of the 1960 era with agendas that resembled the BLM movement of today.

Thus, systemic racism is a relatively new term that came into existence within the last 53 years. Unfortunately for White Americans, the term goes entirely against them. Because of its one-sided terms, it can be said that the deck has been stacked against white people because it portrays them as the villains in racial issues involving Blacks or any other non-white race. A good example of this is evidenced by the fact that systemic racism is continually being referred to in the protests carried out by the BLM movement.

In consideration of the injustices and oppression that the Blacks have suffered now and in the past due to systemic racism, it's obvious that something needs to be done to eradicate this type of racism. It should also be pointed out that all White Americans are not racist just because they're white. To say they are will only create prejudice from their perspective. Therefore, the BLM movement should not continue using systemic racism as a strategy for imposing injustices and oppression on the White Americans. To continue to do so will cause more racism and further prove the BLM movement is lacking credibility.

In closing, let's also keep in mind that racism works both ways among all the races. Therefore, all races should work together to eliminate systemic racism as well as all other types of racism. This approach to solving the problem of racism would then agree with the following quote made by the African American writer and political activist Eldridge Cleaver:

"If you are not a part of the solution, you are
a part of the problem."

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